- This collaboration has laid the foundation for a new era of the digital connected laboratory, with intelligent robots significantly enhancing the efficiency of laboratory workflows.
The first batch of applications developed by both parties will support the processing of pathological slides and the autonomous interconnection of internal logistics within the core laboratory.
A number of ABB robot technologies will be deployed, including autonomous mobile multi-functional robots and fixed-joint robots.
ABB robots announced a global partnership with Roche Diagnostics to jointly develop and launch new robot solutions for clinical laboratories. This collaboration has laid the foundation for an era of flexible, fast, and reliable connected laboratories to meet the growing demands of modern healthcare.
ABB robots’ global president, Masanobu Maeda, said: “This collaboration is an important milestone in accelerating the automation process of laboratories, introducing more powerful autonomous multi-functional robot technology (AVR™) on a large scale to clinical laboratories. Through this collaboration with Roche, we will be able to bring the latest physical AI technology to laboratories around the world, addressing the major challenges that hinder laboratories from providing the best diagnostic results for patients.”
In the medical industry, approximately 70% of treatment decisions rely on diagnostic tests. This field is facing increasingly severe pressure as more professionals are reluctant to engage in demanding and high-intensity laboratory work. Laboratories are facing a shortage of talent. Additionally, with the aging population and the increasing trend of personalized medicine, the need to accelerate testing and improve efficiency has never been more urgent.
The collaboration with Roche will focus on creating large-scale automation solutions to accelerate key laboratory processes such as sample preparation and internal logistics, helping laboratories provide faster and more efficient diagnostic services, thereby improving patient care.
The first batch of applications developed by both parties focus on two important laboratory areas.
In Roche’s pathology business segment, ABB robots will develop solutions to support slide processing and management, helping laboratories transition to a more digital and interconnected workflow.
In Roche’s central diagnostic laboratory, in the largest laboratory testing business department of Roche – the central diagnostic laboratory, ABB robots will use autonomous mobile multi-functional robots to transport samples and materials between instruments, achieving higher interconnection, flexibility, and consistency, thereby accelerating processing speed. These applications provide important opportunities to enhance clinical diagnostic efficiency – robots can undertake repetitive tasks, freeing laboratory personnel to focus on more critical work, while enhancing the flexibility of the existing automation system.
Marc Boehm, the head of the lifecycle management of the Roche Diagnostics Core Laboratory, said: “Partnering with ABB robots enables us to bring a higher level of robotic automation to laboratories of all sizes – this is crucial for the flexibility and consistency required in clinical diagnostics. By automating repetitive tasks, laboratory staff can focus on complex analytical work, which directly accelerates the process from diagnosing patients to making critical treatment decisions.”
Based on its professional accumulation in the field of automation, global manufacturing layout, and the extensive AI-enabled robot product portfolio managed by ABB robot software, ABB robots will be responsible for developing industrial-grade laboratory solutions.
Roche will contribute its leading diagnostic expertise and application experience to ensure that the solutions are tailored to the laboratory needs in real clinical environments.
The collaboration with Roche reflects ABB’s broader strategy of working with partners in the laboratory ecosystem to jointly address key bottlenecks in laboratory operations. By leveraging “physical AI” (where robots learn from real-world data and adapt to dynamic environments), ABB robots are advancing scalable and flexible laboratory automation solutions to enhance efficiency, support faster decision-making, and help laboratories provide more reliable diagnostic results for patients.
[1] Joint statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): The American people deserve accurate and reliable diagnostic tests, January 18, 2024.
